58,000 residents affected as downpour lashes Southwest China

GUIYANG -- Over 58,200 people were affected after intense rain pelted Southwest China's Guizhou province, swelling rivers and submerging a town in over two meters of water, local authorities said Sunday.

Vehement rainstorms have pounded 30 towns in the Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture since Wednesday, according to the prefecture government.

The intense rain has toppled or damaged houses of about 100 families, forcing the evacuation of 95 people. Nearly 2,500 hectares of crops were damaged, and direct economic losses have mounted to 20 million yuan (about $2.9 million), the government said.

In the hardest-hit Baisuo Town, in Changshun County, flood water at one point rose above two meters but began to subside on Sunday. Affected residents have been relocated to safe places, the government said.

Electricity supply to some affected regions has yet to be restored, and the China Southern Power Grid Company said they have mobilized 1,181 personnel and 494 vehicles into repair missions to ensure power supply to sites hosting the national college entrance exam.